Friday, May 30, 2014

Writer/Director Jon Favreau's latest film sees him returning to his roots, a small indie picture that starts off with the main protagonist seeking to rediscover his passion and roots, and ends up being a feel good road trip between father and son.

The first half of the movie deals mainly with Carl Casper (played by Favreau himself)
trying to break free of his comfortable but soulless head chef position,
and despite support from his family and friends, it is not until his
hilarious turn in trying to learn how to deal with social media that
forces him to involuntarily quit his job and finally find his true self
in plying his trade in a food truck.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Learn how to cook a classic Spaghetti Vongole with singer/songwriter Lin Sitong and Pietro's Chef Peter Neo in this exclusive video.

Sitong and Peter demonstrate how to cook this classic and famous Italian pasta dish. It may look simple, but it takes skill to perfect this delicious dish.

Filmed on location at Pietro Restorante Italiano.
Shot and edited entirely on the iPhone 5S.
No clams were injured during the filming of this video.
In Mandarin Chinese with little or no English subtitles whatsoever.

Monday, May 19, 2014

Growing up in a family of musicians, it was natural for Natalie Hiong to be touch with music from a very young age. Her first instrument was the piano, followed by the violin, and she even played the oboe at one stage!

She joined the choir and from there on, she fell in love with classical music, especially Broadway musicals, which explains her love for writing musicals later on.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

It's been awhile since i last posted a recipe, and what better way to share one than this simple but utterly delicious dish of baked eggs.

Eggs cocotte is simply baked eggs, usually with some garnish or ingredients interspersed to give it more depth and texture. Largely french inspired, it is not that common in cafes and restaurants here these days.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Now, this is something you don't see often in Singapore. A 16 year old boy frying char kway teow along a street side market. Come to think of it, you'd probably be easier off striking lottery than to witness this happening here.

Teck Meng is the name of this wonderkid, and where you will find boys his age lounging in MacDonald's and Starbucks in Singapore, this impressive lad is working his socks off to help the family business.

You would not think to find one of the best prata places in an industrial estate, but that was exactly what I discovered last week at Defu Lane.

It used to go under another name, and the owner of that previous stall was actually working at the now infamous Jalan Kayu prata house. He has since settled in India, but his nephew, Haja is now manning the shop.

His uncle used to run this place for more than 20 years, and Haja has also been working and learning from his uncle for the last 7 years.

As such, he was pretty confident of his own prata making skills and has renamed this shop to his sister's name, Rahmath.

Nestled within Soon Soon Lai Eating House, the stall is almost hidden from view in one far end of the kopitiam. This is really a hidden gem in the truest sense of the word.

Kosong Plain

As with any prata I try for the first time, I opted for the generic plain kosong prata to gauge just how good Haja's prata was. And boy, was it marvelous.

It was well rounded, super crisp on the outside and the delicious dough properly cooked through. There was no hint of chewiness at all, and the inner texture was utterly perfect.

Kosong on top, Egg and Onion below

Simply put, this is one of the best pratas around. Just take a look at the picture and you will be salivating already.

Onion Prata

The onion prata was equally delightful. Shaped into a murtabak like square, every inch of the exterior was crisp and beautifully fried. That extra sharpness and sweetness from the onions gave the prata an extra sense of depth.

Curry Chicken

The curries were served were also brilliant, though slightly greasy. It had an assam tinge which gave it a nice acid that went well with the richness of the fried dough. The pratas were so good, that even on its own, it was pure bliss.

Haja at Work

Despite the brilliance of the cooking here, Haja seemed quite despondent as he was complaining to me the business at this eating place was not really that bustling. Hiding in that corner, I won't be surprised either.

He is thinking of moving to a proper shop of his own, but laments that the current rentals and manpower is putting him off on that decision as well.

All I know is that it will be a pity if he decides to quit one day, as his prata is head and shoulders above the more illustrious ones out there, and that includes the likes of the present Jalan Kayu, Thomson Prat and the rather overrated Sin Ming Prata these days.

Here, the prata is not deep fried to a oily dark dough like the one in Thomson, but rather, each and every prata is cooked to order. That alone is worth making the trip here.

If you want to know how a great prata looks and tastes like, come here. It is not just great, it is one of the best.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

To be honest, I have never liked Gardens By The Bay that much. It feels forced, and the layout is just horrendous for folks who don't drive.

Bishan Park, however, is a whole different kettle of flowers. It was revamped only a couple of years back, and what was originally just a huge grass patch has now turned into a vibrant park filled with little ponds and walkways.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Mention malls and the last thing you think you'd find is a decent nasi padang or zhe char eatery in it. Most malls tend to fill their F&B spaces with the usual suspects of Din Tai Fung, Crystal Jade etc.

And so, it was a lovely surprise to find Rumah Sayang that is serving tasty local delights in the basement of JEM.